Why Silence fest is back and bigger than ever

New to Silence Festival? This is what it's all about.

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Silence Festival

Silence fest took a hit in 2015 when an earthquake shook Kathmandu, destroying historic buildings and parts of its infrastructure. Now back for its sixth edition with Twelve Foot Ninja, Underside and more, its organisers are hoping to boost the metal scene and put Nepal on the international map. Here’s how you can get involved.

What is Silence festival?

“Silence festival is Nepal’s first metal festival, established in 2011 with the aim of making the country a destination for international bands. Not only is it the biggest event of the year for metalheads, it helps to promote tourism in Kathmandu and beyond. The festival is basically a project run by Underside, a prominent metal band from Kathmandu. At Silence our locals bands gets to share the stage with international acts, and this very sharing of music under one platform is what we find incredibly beautiful and inspiring. Unfortunately due to a catastrophic earthquake in 2015 that shook the entire nation, we had to put the festival on halt – but this year we are coming back with full force. Stronger and better!”

Who is playing?

“This will be our sixth edition and in the past we’ve had the privilege of hosting some of the most amazing bands like Vader, Behemoth, Textures, and Sikth to name a few. And the legacy continues. This year we are very stoked to have Twelve Foot Ninja as this year’s headliner along sides our friends from Switzerland, Enigmatik and Voice Of Ruin. We also have other local bands including Underside, Kaal, Nude Terror, Binash, and Chillaum from Australia.”

Why should people go?

“A metal fest in beautiful weather in a city like Kathmandu is good enough reason why one should go to Silence Fest. It’s a melting pot, where local bands and international bands get to play together. People don’t know much about the metal scene in Nepal and the music bands are cooking here. That’s something to watch out for.

“Also, when you attend Silence, you’re helping us breaking taboos around metal music and the scene in Nepali society. The more people attend, the more validation we get. Please let’s not forget Nepal is a country where metal is still considered bit of an offshoot and not widely recognised by the mass population.

“More importantly, we want you to have a great time at our fest and experience our tradition, culture and people. We believe Kathmandu is the most coolest city on Earth.”

What else is there to do in Nepal?

“There’s a lot you can do in Nepal, it depends on what are you into. We have the tallest mountains in the world, Fucking Mount Everest is here!

“Nepal is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Our nature, people and culture is something people come to experience from all over the world. Tourism is one of the biggest resources for our economy.

“You can trek here; for adrenaline junkies we have extreme sports like bungee, kayaking and rock climbing. Whatever you’re into, there’s something for you in Nepal. Just sitting on the top of a hill, doing nothing and watching everything below you is a very liberating experience. Trust me on that!”

How can people get tickets?

“Unfortunately we don’t have online paying system as of yet in Nepal, so buying tickets online is not an option. However, tickets are easily available in many designated places – like music stores and bars – in Kathmandu and around other major cities of Nepal. People can get the tickets on the day as well, or you can contact us in our festival page and our dedicated team will book the tickets for you in advance.”